CVE-2006-2391 in Retrospect Client
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in EMC Retrospect Client 5.1 through 7.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted packet to port 497.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/20/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-2391 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw affecting EMC Retrospect Client versions 5.1 through 7.5. This security weakness resides within the network protocol handling mechanism of the backup software, specifically when processing incoming network traffic on port 497. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and memory management practices within the client application's network communication stack, creating an exploitable condition that can be triggered by sending malformed packets to the designated port.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a classic buffer overflow scenario where attacker-controlled data exceeds the allocated memory buffer size during packet processing. When the Retrospect Client receives a specially crafted packet on port 497, the application fails to properly validate the packet length or content before copying it into a fixed-size buffer. This condition allows an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting critical program execution flow and leading to unpredictable behavior. The vulnerability operates at the transport layer protocol level, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited remotely without requiring local system access or authentication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable remote code execution, making it a severe security concern for organizations relying on EMC Retrospect Client for their backup operations. A successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the Retrospect Client process. The affected systems become vulnerable to various attack vectors including privilege escalation, data exfiltration, and persistent backdoor installation. Organizations using vulnerable versions of Retrospect Client face significant risk of unauthorized access to their backup infrastructure, potentially compromising entire backup networks and sensitive data repositories.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter). The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation practices that violate fundamental security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Organizations should immediately implement network segmentation to restrict access to port 497, deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious packet patterns, and apply the vendor-provided patches as soon as possible. Additionally, regular security assessments and network monitoring should be conducted to identify any potential exploitation attempts and ensure that backup infrastructure remains secure against similar vulnerabilities.